Carolyn from HelloWorld Takapuna, along with her husband, recently visited Canada and Alaska. They then travelled on to Europe, visiting the Canary Islands, Crete in Greece and Faro in southern Portugal. Channel Mag chatted with Carolyn about their amazing trip.
The first stop was to visit a grizzly bear lodge in the vast remote wilderness close to Vancouver. "It was AMAZING!" says it all!" Carolyn continues, "When we were coming to land in the float plane we flew over a grizzly bear running across the mud flats to avoid the sound of the plane – that was our first encounter with a bear. As it was mating season there were plenty of bears around the shoreline looking for food, and of course mates!"
Visiting during late May meant the bears hadn't long been out of hibernation, and the lodge had been open for just a couple of weeks. Once they arrived they were briefed that the three outings organised for that day would be broken up by morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea – yum! The following day they had a choice of doing hikes, boat trips or bear viewings. "We chose a half-day boat trip further up the inlet we were staying in, and then in the afternoon we hiked to the top of the hill on the other side of that inlet," explains Carolyn. "We are not fit walkers but it was a reasonably easy walk along good trails and boardwalks with rope handrails. We were rewarded with an amazing view over the inlet and the neighbouring mountains. Quite spectacular! It reminded me a lot of Bob's Peak in Queenstown, but with no town below us as we were far more remote." They also enjoyed a guided, easy walk along flat trails where they were educated on what bears eat at this time of year, what their tree scratch marks mean, and lots of other information. "The guides are so passionate about their jobs," she comments. Carolyn describes the trip as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, each day packed with outings and bear viewings galore.
They then hopped on an Alaskan cruise with Regent Seven Seas, sailing from Vancouver to Anchorage, enjoying seven nights on a luxury small-ship cruise, which Carolyn describes as 'fabulous'. "My husband had never wanted to do an Alaskan cruise, but he absolutely loved it too!" she jokes. There were plenty of choices for activities on land, with whale watching, crab-eating, and Whitepass Railroad excursions. "It really was packed full of adventure, but in luxury!"
The highlight of the European leg of the trip was their visit to Crete. "I knew there was a lot of New Zealand war history there, but we didn't know much about the Battle of Crete in the First World War," she says. They discovered memorial sites, found where the German paratroopers landed, and visited the cemetery where 446 Kiwi soldiers were buried, never to return to New Zealand soil. "It's a beautifully kept cemetery located in a lovely bay. It's so nice to know the Greek people remember and value our Kiwi soldiers," says Carolyn. She describes Crete itself as a lovely Greek island at the southernmost point of Europe, and they loved the friendliness of the people. Having a car meant it was easy to drive around, even though they had to drive on the other side of the road from New Zealand. "The motorists were good, and we never heard a horn honk once – not like in neighbouring Italy! We would love to return here one day – we loved it so much."
To find out more about visiting grizzly bears in the wild surroundings of Vancouver, and exploring the best of Europe, please call Carolyn for a chat. If you would like to talk in person, she is at the HelloWorld Takapuna store once a week, so please contact her to make an appointment. She is available by phone 09 257 0883 or by email at carolyn.hedley@travel.helloworld.co.nz
